A Collection of Stories

The Shadow

I sighed.

My thoughts were akin to a confuddled mush of sweating marshmallows baking in the midday sun. As I stepped through the archway, the cool scent of rain tinged with wet night grass washed over me like a calming tidal wave. The faultless night sky occasionally flicked balls of darting light with ease. Instantly, my thoughts dissipated into wisps of air as if they were never there.

A dark speck close to the horizon, nearly invisible if not for its constant motion. The speck grew into a dot. A dot into a bird. A swooping dark figure took its shape as it approached the very balcony I was perched on. 

Scrambling off the railing, I inched back towards the archway. My thoughts were jabbering and yelling over one another- an internal battle raged as the shadow grew. Whispers filled the air creating a buzz that rose to a cresting wave in the back of my mind. My heart thudded in my chest as I tried to discern the presence of danger. It had wings that sliced through the air. The hair on my nape rose as my breath puffed out in whirling wisps in the suddenly frigid air. I was hypnotised even as I feared the graceful yet intimidating movements of the strange figure as it grew into a man.

All the whispers dispersed into the darkness as a quiet cold settled in the air. The man was perched precariously on the balcony railing, several feet away. Nobody moved for a beat and I possessed this opportunity to assess the strange intruder. The moonlight threw a silhouette of unruly curled hair. I squinted to get a better view of his face but it drowned in shadow. A stray breeze brought the scent of warm spice from the night-time forest, shocking me with the unnameable thirst for change.

His obsidian wings glowed mutedly in the pallid moonlight. They were marvellous. Tucked away neatly behind his back, they were like soft thick sheets. The kind that would envelop you in its depths of softness and warmth, dragging you into slumber. At the same time, they were cutting edge, slicing through the wind like a knife through softened butter. My mind warred with my heart. My hand reached out, just for my fingertips to lightly brush the feathers. I was nothing short of mesmerized.

My fingertips grazed the outline of each individual feather. In a sliding trance, I approached him. I was close enough that my hand pressed up to his wing. Up close, I realised I was mistaken. Each feather shined with an individual amethyst hue. I traced the bow of the wing, feeling the tough, powerful leathery skin stretching taut over the bone. My hand stilled over the wing arch when the shadow shifted. His hand reached out and enveloped mine in his. A lazy spark slid down my spine. Like a mysterious force in the darkest of nights, we leaned closer. Just as our foreheads touched, we both took a shuddering breath together. His amber eyes glowed as I saw my emerald eyes reflected in the gatgering pool of gold in his eyes. Our noses brushed against each other timidly. The air was still and suspended in an enclosed bubble as the world turned into nothing as everything I ever needed or knew was right before me.

My eyelids fluttered to a close. My heart began beating frantically like a war drum as my heart whispered things that my mind was vehemently against. I wondered if he could hear it.

My throat was tight. Constricted.

Sucking in a deep breath of smoke and pine, I dampened my dry lips, swallowing to allow the rush of a small whispered greeting to escape. It was so soft it was lost in the gentle breeze. His breath hitched ever so slightly and his hands tightened briefly over mine. With a great leap, he pushed away from the rail.

 The heat of him left me, forcing the sudden cold to rush in. The rush of air brought a sudden gust that whipped at my hair. My nightgown wrapped around my legs, tugging me away from the rail as I struggled to keep my feet grounded. With eyes stinging and cheeks raw from the claws of the wind, I shoved my hair away from my face and ran towards the ledge. Hands gripping the rail to support my weight, I leaned forward as far as I dared.

My eyes squinted into the inky blackness of the night searching and searching. The slightest movement. It disrupted and rippled the stillness of the horizon. He melted into the night.